Competency Matrix for HSE & Sustainability

 

No.

Task

Minimum Competence
Breadth

Approximate Years of E&P Experience = <1

Minimum Competence
Depth

Approximate Years of E&P Experience = 5

1 Occupational health Management Awareness of the key health (both physical and mental) risks faced by workers in the industry (e.g. hearing loss, respiratory impacts, repetitive stress, cancer) and key protective measures used to reduce these risks. Understand the key health risks faced by workers within your company or facility and key controls/safeguards in place and key performance indicators used to measure.
2 Noise & Hearing Protection Understand risks of noise exposure over time (hearing loss). Identify high noise sources in routine oil field operations and the main controls to protect from hearing loss (e.g. dampening, PPE). Understand high-noise sources in your current job. Understand the limits and proper use of hearing protection PPE.
3 Respiratory Protection Identify sources of airborne chemicals in typical oil field operations (e.g. VOCs, H2S, particulates). Know the risks of exposure in short-term and long-term. Identify specific sources and risks of airborne chemicals and toxic inhalants in current job. Explain limits and proper use of respirators.
4 Pathogens Describe risks of pathogens (bacteria and viruses) and key controls for protection. Identify specific risks of pathogens in your current role. Describe your company protective measures (e.g. disinfection, bloodborne cleanup kits). Know proper use and limits of PPE.
5 Chemical Exposure Describe types of hazardous chemicals (e.g. acids, caustics, flammables, reactives) typically found in oil field operations. Describe specific hazardous chemicals used in your company or to which you may be exposed in your current role; know controls/safeguards for each. Describe your company's or facility's rules for proper use, storage and transport of hazardous chemicals. Know how to read a Safety Data Sheet to find critical information about hazards and safeguards of chemical products.
6 Ergonomics, repetitive stress Understand what repetitive stress is and how you may be exposed to it. Understand specific risks of repetitive stress injuries in your current role and effective safeguards, preventative measures and implications for equipment selection.
7 Fundamentals of Risk Management (for Safety, Environmental and Social risks and impacts) Understand key concepts and terminology of risk management (e.g. "hazard," "risk," "safeguard,") and awareness of key tools/methods risk assessment (e.g. HAZID, HAZOPS, Process Hazard Analysis, Job Safety Analysis, Bow Tie Diagram, Layers of Protection Analysis, Environmental Impact Assessment, Social Impact Assessment). Explain in detail the top 5 risks related to your current job role and the critical safeguards in place for each of those risks. Prepare a comprehensive Job Safety Analysis (JSA). Conduct a pre-job safety meeting, reviewing job specific hazards and mitigations with team/crew. Participate in risk assessment activities (HAZID, HAZOPS, Process Hazard Analysis, Job Safety Analysis, Bow Tie Diagram, Layers of Protection Analysis, Environmental Impact Assessment, Social Impact Assessment).
8 Emergency Response Planning Understand the importance of emergency management (preparedness, planning, response tiers, organization). Understand key aspects and general organization of any emergency management plans related to your current job role. Explain your role in emergency response activities. Participate in emergency drills/exercises.
9 Air Quality Impacts & Climate Change Assess the typical air pollutants of oil and gas field operations (VOCs, NOx, SOx, particulates, etc.) and how they impact human health and the environment.
Classify the key sources of methane and CO2 emissions from oilfield operations and critique how air quality impairments from GHGs influence climate change
Characterize the specific air pollutants of your company's (or a typical Operator's) operations, their sources and their key control measures. Interpret the rules and limits of your facility's (or a typical facility's) air pollution operating permit and ensure an awareness of relevant control measures (e.g. leak detection, fugitive emissions management, stack scrubbers).
Discriminate the main sources of methane and CO2 emissions from your facility, company or clients' oilfield operations. Differentiate direct, indirect, cumulative & synergistic impacts of these emissions for optimum climate change mitigation.
10 Water Quality Impacts Assess how water is used, recycled and disposed of (as wastewater) in oil field operations. Predict the behavior (fate and effects) of hydrocarbon pollutants in saltwater and freshwater for operational response planning. Compare and contrast the direct, indirect, cumulative & synergistic impacts of oil on water quality and/or quantity (e.g. in freshwater environment) by characterizing the key environmental factors that influence crude oil behavior in/on water and how they affect operational response.
11 Flora & Fauna Illustrate the concept and importance of biodiversity including how oil field operations can typically impact species of plants, animals and their habitats. Determine your company operations' risks and impacts on individual species, habitat or general biodiversity. Break down the specific controls/safeguards used to mitigate these risks and impacts by classifying the direct, indirect, cumulative and synergistic impacts of project activities on flora and fauna.
12 Soil & Groundwater Contamination Predict the behavior (fate and effects) of hydrocarbons on land/soil for operational response and decision-making in the cleanup and remediation of impacted soil and groundwater. Classify the direct, indirect, cumulative & synergistic impacts of oil on soil quality/profile. Design optimum remediation techniques/technologies (e.g. biostimulation, bioaugumentation, biosparging, intrinsic bioremediation, bioventing etc.) by integrating data such as hydraulic conductivity of specific soil types typical to the location of facility operations - this will influence groundwater pollution potentials.
13 HSE Standards, Laws & Regulations Break down the main laws and regulations that govern oil and gas field operations in your country of operation (e.g. US NEPA Act, US Clean Air Act, US Oil Pollution Act, UK Health and Safety at Work Act, UK Offshore Installations Regulations, China Environmental Protection Law, Nigeria's EIA Act Cap E12-LFN2004; etc).
Integrate these laws with voluntary international standards such as ISO 14001: Environmental Management and ISO 45001: Occupational Health & Safety.
Characterize the mandatory laws (e.g. EIA requirements) and regulations that govern oil and gas field operations in your country and jurisdiction. Summarize any government permits related to your job role and what the key requirements are of those permits.
Illustrate the EIA-EMP-EMS interconnectedness in managing project impacts e.g. voluntary international standards such as ISO 14001: Environmental Management and ISO 45001: Occupational Health & Safety and how these relate to your current job role.
14 Waste management Classify the typical oil and gas field wastes-including potentially hazardous wastes (e.g. oily debris, waste mud, natural occurring radioactive materials (NORM), etc.). Outline your company's or facility's Waste Management Plan and its requirements related to your job role-including waste minimization measures. Identify potentially hazardous wastes that are generated by operations in which you are related.
15 Site Restoration & Reclamation Appraise the general principles of remediation and the practicality and economics of returning sites to their 'original' conditions. Layout the potential procedure for Net Environmental Benefit Analysis (NEBA)/Spill Impact Mitigation Assessment (SIMA) process in reaching an optimum decision for site restoration. Incorporate into NEBA/SIMA, the key laws and regulations governing reclamation/restoration in your country, province or state.
16 Fundamentals of Process Safety Define Process Safety Management. Articulate difference between personal (occupational) safety and process safety. Understand the 20 elements of Risk-Based Process Safety. Understand the key (top 5) process safety risks in your operations and critical controls/safeguards in place.
17 Fundamentals of Energy Efficiency Awareness of energy efficiency engineering tools and technologies. Understanding practical applications of energy efficiency analysis and technologies for improvement.
18 Fundamentals of Sustainable Development Investigate the term "sustainable development" and articulate the key impacts (positive and negative) that the oil & gas industry has on sustainable development. Critique environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance metrics and the importance of ESG to investors' corporate sustainability agenda. Classify how your company and your job potentially adds to or subtracts from each of the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
19 Leadership & HSE Culture Identify key aspects of a positive organizational culture. Awareness of the role of leadership in creating and sustaining a positive safety culture. Understand how different styles of leadership impact an organization's culture. Understand the key aspects (and key performance indicators) for a positive/open safety culture. Understand how your job position can foster or impede Psychological Safety. Understand importance of employee (and contractor) engagement to foster positive HSE culture.
20 Human Performance/Human Factors Awareness of the concepts and principles of human factors as they relate to human performance (Level 1 of the Human Performance Competency Pathway). Practical ability to identify a range of factors increasing the likelihood of mistakes or non-compliances using tools and checklists from the Human Performance Competency Pathway:
  1. Task Analysis
  2. Designing for people
  3. Incident investigation Procedures
  4. Safety critical communication
  5. Workload, stress and fatigue
  6. Human factors in projects
  7. Control room design and alarm management
  8. Leadership, supervision and safety culture
21 Incident Investigation and Root Cause Analysis Understand importance of reporting and investigating all incidents at an appropriate level. Know your company's or facility's requirements for reporting all incidents and near misses. Understand why incident investigation is critical to identify root causes of incidents and to identify corrective actions that can prevent a recurrence of incident.

 

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